Of course, calling it a lesson was just a euphemism, the real meaning behind it needed no elaboration.
As the time approached, after saying good night to Soyo, Kaito was about to sleep when the door was knocked.
"Little Mutsumi?"
The light green long-haired girl stood barefoot at the door, wearing only a thin white nightdress, her eyes slightly lowered, her long eyelashes gently trembling.
"Is there something wrong?"
Little Mutsumi hesitated a moment, then softly said, "The thunder... is very loud."
Kaito paused, but quickly understood her meaning, "So, you're scared?"
The girl didn't reply, only responded with silence.
'Didn't expect this...', Kaito thought carefully, but wasn't too surprised.
After all, she was a young girl, it wasn't strange to be a bit timid, plus tonight's thunder was really loud, nothing unusual.
"Can I, in Onii-chan's room, sleep for one night?", The light green long-haired girl looked very cautious, as if afraid he'd refuse, and added softly, "Sleeping on the floor is fine..."
'I don't want to betray Sakiko.'
'So... as long as we stay within the boundaries of brother-sister relationship, don't cross that forbidden line, even if we get closer, it won't count as betraying Sakiko, right?'
Obviously, a sister afraid of thunder, on a pouring rainy night, wanted to seek her Onii-chan's protection.
Such a request, no matter how you look at it, could never be considered crossing the line.
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Chapter 147: The Upcoming Live
Although Little Mutsumi said sleeping on the floor herself would be fine, she was, after all, the younger sister.
As a qualified older brother, Kaito naturally could not really let little cucumber sleep on the floor.
Anyway, his bed was quite big, lying three or two people was not a problem at all, not to mention only sleeping one Little Mutsumi, even adding a secretary Sakiko was more than enough.
As for sharing the bed and pillow, whether some pleasing and entertaining things would happen...
'Impossible, absolutely impossible.'
Although Little Mutsumi was very beautiful, her beauty carried more of a cold and fragile feeling, making it hard for one to develop wicked thoughts.
More importantly
He only saw Little Mutsumi as a younger sister, and she also saw him as a reliable older brother.
Just like one wouldn't have strange desires toward the family cat, the same reasoning applied to one's younger sister.
This sibling affection was clean and innocent, with a clear conscience, unbreakable, like gold, shining with pure brilliance.
Kaito also believed, 'It absolutely will not go bad.'
'Onii-chan's smell, so rich.'
Like sunshine shining over a grassy field, the wind from afar bringing faint unknown floral fragrance.
As if the whole body was wrapped in a warm feeling, those rumbling thunder sounds, the pouring heavy rain, seemed to fade away in that instant.
It made people crave this comfort, just wanting to lazily doze off and have a good sleep.
But...
Wakaba Mutsuki slightly pressed her lips together, looking at the bedding on the bed that belonged to her, feeling a bit disappointed.
To be honest, she still more wanted to rest under the same quilt with brother.
This feeling of being separated by one layer, compared to real zero-distance contact, was still a lot worse.
But this was something she couldn't help.
Although Kaito thought of his relationship with Little Mutsumi as pure and clean sibling affection, still, appropriate avoidance of suspicion was necessary.
"It's already late, let's sleep early," After saying goodnight to little cucumber, Kaito casually set up a magic array, blocking the continuous rain sounds and roaring thunder outside the window.
The atmosphere in the room was very quiet, so quiet only each other's breathing could be heard.
Perhaps only ten minutes passed, or maybe half an hour.
"...Onii-chan," The girl's voice, low to the point of inaudibility, like sleep talk, echoed by the ear.
"Mm," Although the bedroom light wasn't on, Kaito could still clearly see the hesitation and confusion on the girl's pretty face beside him.
After a long while, she slowly asked, "You and Soyo... are together now?"
Kaito wasn't surprised that Little Mutsumi knew about this matter.
After all, she and Soyo were classmates, finding out some news was extremely easy, so he simply admitted it.
"That's right."
This time Little Mutsumi's silence lasted even longer.
Although she already knew this answer, after truly hearing it from brother's mouth, her mood was still somewhat complicated.
If she had to describe it... maybe like, little cucumber dipped in vinegar, became pickled cucumber?
Also wondered, 'If Sakiko knows this news, what kind of reaction will she have?'
Little Mutsumi imagined that scene briefly in her mind, felt, 'It will be pretty bad.'
Although since leaving the Togawa family, Sakiko always looked tough outside, but that was just a disguise.
Her true personality was unexpectedly soft and sweet, especially not good at handling strong people.
'If she knows the club president she secretly likes has been snatched away by Soyo, perhaps she will secretly crawl into bed and cry at night?'
But... she had no time to mourn for Sakiko.
As a fellow loser, and even having her face sat on by Soyo, even though she occupied the status of younger sister, Little Mutsumi still felt it wasn't enough.
She remained silent for a long time, then quietly said, "So, Onii-chan... will you abandon me?"
The fragile tone couldn't hide the unease.
Compared to a younger sister without blood relation, obviously the girlfriend in a relationship was closer.
Not to mention, as boyfriend and girlfriend, dating was a natural thing.
Which also meant that brother would spend more time and attention on Soyo.
As time went on, inevitably... they would grow further apart.
And this was precisely what Wakaba Mutsuki feared most.
Although the time living together had been short, she already couldn't imagine a life without brother, and didn't want to leave.
'But, if one day, by Onii-chan's side, there is no longer my place, then where... should I go?'
'So this is Little Mutsumi's worry?'
'Worried that after brother got a girlfriend, most of his affection would be taken away, and even feared brother will abandon her...'
'Such a childlike thought, really.'
But Kaito didn't intend to laugh at her.
Ultimately, the reason Little Mutsumi had such thoughts was only because she was too close to him, so she feared being taken away.
"I won't," He seriously gave his answer, "As long as Little Mutsumi is willing, there will always be a place by my side for you."
"Mm," The girl's voice became cheerful again, as if she had let go of many heavy things, "I also, will never leave Onii-chan."
Like making, a forever-lasting promise.
In the following week, there was nothing particularly special.
Going to class as usual, clearing out love letters from the desk space, being pestered by the enthusiastic Anon for chats... such daily life, repeated in cycles.
By the way... Kaito also took some time to tell Miura Yumiko about dating Soyo.
As he had expected, Yumiko didn't show much anger about it, instead sighed in relief.
Finally someone could help share the firepower, she didn't feel jealous at all.
Although she had only met Soyo once, Yumiko had a deep impression of the brown-haired young lady from Tsukinomori.
After all, the gentle, wife-like aura from Soyo, was far more mature than girls of the same age, unforgettable at first sight.
Originally wanted to let Bocchi drink the second soup... but since someone already beat her to it, nothing could be done, third soup was the same anyway.
She also wanted to suggest meeting Soyo again, since they'd likely live together in the future, it'd be good to start bonding early.
But when the time came, she hesitated.
After all, the relationship between them wasn't that close, not even friends.
Meeting rashly like that just felt awkward, after thinking it over, she temporarily shelved the idea.
And so, in this kind of atmosphere, time quietly arrived at Friday.
Tomorrow was the time for the band's first official live performance.
For this live, little Bocchi had been extremely busy recently, barely attending club activities, heading straight to STARRY right after school.
Although she had been trying hard to practice with her teammates, still, looking at the particularly gloomy sky outside the window, and the typhoon weather broadcast on his phone, Kaito furrowed his brow.
'Should I say, the heavens are not cooperating?'
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Chapter 148: Useless Ryou: I Shall Pledge My Allegiance to You!
[STARRY Live House]
"I just feel like there'll be pathetically few people in the audience tomorrow," Kita Ikuyo pouted, listlessly lying on the table in the practice room, her expression visibly gloomy.
The performance was tomorrow, and yet the sky was so overcast it was ridiculous. The TV was also broadcasting news about an incoming typhoon.
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a storm was brewing.
Kessoku Band had only recently formed. They had no fame, let alone any fans.
If they just happened to run into such a terrible typhoon and stormy day even with your toes you could tell that for a debut performance, it'd be a catastrophic blow to their popularity.
Even though Kita had invited quite a few friends to come watch the performance tomorrow, that was under the assumption that the weather would be normal.
After all, how many people would be willing to brave a typhoon and heavy rain to watch a performance by an unknown band?
"Well, well, maybe it won't be that bad?", Nijika was also a bit disappointed, but as the band leader, she was used to putting on a positive front. She still tried to cheer up and think optimistically, "Like maybe the typhoon will suddenly turn away, and tomorrow will still be a bright, sunny day?"
"The probability of something like that happening is way too low, right?"
Off to the side, Useless Ryou was holding a cup of hot water, sipping it slowly. Upon hearing that, she couldn't help but retort, "Rather than hoping for the typhoon to turn, you might as well pray that some passing god suddenly shows mercy and blesses us with clear skies."
Nijika scratched her cheek. She was about to say, "Where would you find gods in this world?", but remembering their experience in the town of Hoori, she didn't dare say it out loud and instead muttered uncertainly, "There probably wouldn't be such an approachable god, right?"
"Of course not," Yamada Ryou shrugged, "So, the typhoon won't turn, and the weather won't clear up."
"Ryou, you're way too negative even weather forecasts aren't always right, you know?"
"No, it's you who's too idealistic, Nijika," The blue-haired girl stretched lazily, "Rather than wasting energy thinking about these unrealistic things, we should think about how to give our best performance tomorrow. At the very least, we can't let the already limited audience, who braved the rain, be disappointed."
"Ryou-senpai is right!", Kita also perked up again, pumping her little fist in encouragement, "Anyone willing to come see our show in typhoon weather must truly love music. Even if the weather affects our popularity, we have to give them the best live experience."
Even Bocchi in the corner pursed her lips and nodded vigorously.
Seeing that the band's mood had finally turned positive again, Nijika thought for a moment, just about to say something else, when the door to the practice room suddenly opened.
Everyone's attention turned toward the person entering. Kaito raised an eyebrow, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Nijika," Yamada Ryou didn't answer his question but instead looked at her bandmate with a serious face and said, "The approachable god has appeared!"
Ijichi Nijika: "..."
The girl blinked, then quickly caught on, "You mean, Kaito-kun?"
Useless Ryou nodded solemnly.
Nijika gave her a helpless look, a bit at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
'Although Kaito-kun indeed possess powerful supernatural abilities, he can easily exorcise even cursed gods, changing the weather isn't that simple. That is something only a true god can do, right?'
It wasn't that she didn't believe in Kaito, but this kind of thing just sounded a little too fantastical.
This wasn't some light novel, like "My Classmate Who's Super Popular is Secretly a God", even just imagining it felt like science fiction, didn't it?
And yet, Ryou's words somehow received unanimous agreement from everyone.
Not only Bocchi, but even Kita, who had been a bit shy after seeing Kaito, forgot all about modesty. All of them looked at the figure standing at the door with sparkling eyes.
To the girls, the name "Kaito" was undoubtedly synonymous with reassurance.
No matter how terrifying or hideous the evil spirits or cursed gods were, just seeing his silhouette brought an overwhelming sense of security.
Even though they knew it was unlikely, deep down they still instinctively harbored a small hope.
'As long as Kaito-kun is here maybe, just maybe, a miracle really will happen?'
"Well, rain is perfectly normal, let's not trouble Kaito-kun with this~", Perhaps thinking such a request would be asking too much, Nijika quickly tried to smooth things over, "As long as we try our best, it doesn't really matter how things turn out. Like that saying do your best, leave the rest to fate?"
That might be the right mindset, but Bocchi's clear blue eyes still dimmed, like a gemstone that had lost its luster.
"Actually", Seeing his pure, adorable clubmate looking so dejected like a pink hamster, Kaito paused for two seconds, then spoke honestly, "If it's just stopping the rain, I really can do that."
Nijika: "?"
Kita: "!"
Ryou: "?"
This time it was Useless Ryou's turn to be shocked, 'Wait, you can actually do that?'
She had only been joking around like usual, she hadn't actually expected anything.
"Boyfriend-kun," Ryou's suspicious eyes darted up and down his figure, "You're not actually some kind of god, are you?"
